The Third Man 4K 1949

Undeniable classic 'black' movie, reference work of the cameraman, built on the subtle play of light and shadow, great actors on the main roles - all this is the legendary noir Carol Reed's 'The Third Man' with no less, and probably more legendary Orson Welles in one of the main roles.

For some reason, many viewers are convinced that this movie is mostly credited to Orson Welles, not Carol Reed. In my opinion, this is just a halo of greatness, which can not help but match the director and the author of the script of the great 'Citizen Kane'. British director Carol Reed with this movie immortalized his name in the history of cinema and created a terrific in its tension 'black' movie, which contains the whole range of things for which we love noir - the title character with a bad fate, a fatal woman he falls in love with, traitors, cops and the main enemy, who is not who we think of at the beginning of the movie. However, he is actually much more weighty than he seems at first glance.

By moving the action to post-war Vienna, the director certainly couldn't help but bring up the social subtext of everything that goes along with it. Initially covering himself with a simple crime story, Reed then shows the true essence of everything that is going on. It's as if we, like the protagonist, at first, also seek to understand the causes of his friend's death, but then seeing the horrifying pictures and revealing the true essence of Welles' character, we instantly get on the path of reflection: what will prevail in the protagonist - loyalty to his friend, or a sense of justice, which only intensifies after we are shown a hospital with mutilated children.

The movie has a distinct flavor of that 'Golden' age of American cinema. Every phrase, every gesture is theatrical to the point of indecency, but all this together has such a strong effect, such a stunning atmosphere that you just can't believe your eyes. The camerawork is amazing, just fantastic play of light and shadows, in some frames you feel as if you are in another reality where everything is like in the kingdom of crooked mirrors, or in Tim Burton's worlds, but it is not visual special effects, but only stunning work of the cameraman Robert Krasker, for which he deservedly received the American Academy Award.

Good old movie takes you without a trace, it certainly requires more attention than modern analogs, as the plot is confused to the point of obscenity, and not to lose interest in the events it is necessary to give yourself completely to this process. But, believe me, it's worth it. It is worth it to see pure cinematic magic, to see great actors, great directors, and finally great stories that influenced the development of cinema as a whole.